A Letter From The News Director, November 2025

Photo by John Cholod

I think it comes as no surprise to anyone when I say that we live in divided times. Too often, we judge our neighbors before we truly get to know them. We’re all guilty of it to some degree.

Earlier this October, someone from another community posted a meme on our Facebook page that said “F-ICE.” I understand that some of our readers agree with that sentiment, while others do not. Our page administrators removed the post and banned the user—not solely because of this one post, but due to a history of disparaging content.

Unfortunately, this incident has led to some fallout: one of our advertisers has decided to stop advertising with us, and others have claimed that The Beltsville News is becoming too liberal. I want to address these concerns directly:

1.     Check your sources. Unless a statement comes directly from The Beltsville News, it does not represent the newspaper. Social media posts by individuals should not be conflated with our editorial voice.

2.     Perspective matters. Those accusing us of bias were not critical when we featured Larry Hogan visiting our fire station or when we reported on leadership concerns involving Tiffany Green. Yet, when we covered the story of a Beltsville resident who had been deported illegally, some called us “too liberal.” That reaction says more about the complainers than it does about our paper.

3.     Our Facebook page is a forum, not the newspaper. The page is moderated: many posts I may not personally agree with are allowed to stay, and others I might support are removed if they violate group rules. Perceptions of bias on our part often reflect individual perspectives more than actual editorial decisions.

4.     Editorial independence matters. While we regret losing advertisers, we will not let financial pressure dictate our reporting. That is not how responsible journalism works.

We deeply appreciate everyone who reads our paper, participates in our forums, and contributes to our community. We will not allow bullies or fear of backlash to determine what gets said.

Sincerely,

Rick Bergmann

News Director

The Beltsville News